This disclosure relates generally to the cleaning of surfaces used to generate solar power. Solar power surfaces can include photovoltaic (PV) solar cells, mirrors used in concentrating solar power (CSP) plants, and other surfaces used in association with generating power from solar energy. One example of a CSP plant can include a power tower, which can use an array of solar tracking mirrors such as heliostats to focus light energy toward the top of a tower to generate steam to power one or more generators. To improve power output, solar power surfaces can be cleaned. Because of the large number of solar power surfaces in a typical plant, the cost of cleaning can be undesirably large.
Additionally, solar power installations can be situated in desert areas where water can be scarce. According to one cleaning approach, a truck is driven through a solar plant location as an operator directs a pressurized stream of water, such as deionized water, onto a mirror surface. While this process can be effective at cleaning mirrors, it is resource intensive, both in terms of man-hours and water consumption, and therefore is performed periodically, such as once every two weeks. In between such cleanings, surfaces can again become undesirably contaminated.